Journal - TRAVELLING ALONE

I honestly believe that the best travel companion you can have is yourself, and that solo travel is liberating, rewarding and totally empowering. We should all be doing it, at least a few times in our lives.

So when I sat down for a chat with Matt Bevan of ABC radio’s Nightlife program this week, you really couldn’t stop me nattering on about all the benefits of travelling alone.

Right up there for me is the fact that you get to do exactly what you want, when you want, and to make it the trip of your dreams rather than someone else’s.

I also strongly believe that solo travel makes you engage so much more intimately with your environment and with the people you meet, which has led to some of my most enduring friendships.

Any loneliness I might feel is far outweighed by the sense of empowerment and confidence that solo travel ultimately leads to.

Matt looked at me askance when I told him my husband Pete and I are planning a trip to Israel in May, and that we’ll be tacking on some time at the beginning so that each of us can head off on our own mini-adventure first before reuniting – we love our independent travel that much!

We also chatted about the hot places to travel to this year, including Ethiopia, Nepal and Finland, and about how this year immersion will be key – living like a local and soaking up all the magic rather than just simply passing through destinations.

Anyway I won’t give too much away so you can give your eyes a rest and let your ears do the work for the next 15 minutes or so. But once you’ve had a listen, I’d also love to hear your thoughts on solo travel.

Do you love solo travel or hate it? Is there anywhere in the world you’d find too scary to travel to alone? And where on earth are you planning to adventure to this year?